Vista Outdoor — BrandWiki

Vista Outdoor

Overview

Vista Outdoor Inc.

predecessor	Alliant Techsystems
foundation	February 2015
defunct	2025
fate	Split into Revelyst and Kinetic Group
location	Anoka, Minnesota, United States‡R1R‡
products	Sports goods
revenue	US$2.059 billion (2019) US$2.308 billion (2018)‡R2R‡
industry	Shooting sports and outdoor products
num employees	5,800

Vista Outdoor Inc. was an American designer, manufacturer, and marketer that operated in two segments: shooting sports and outdoor products. It was a "house of brands"[3] with more than 40 labels and subsidiaries.

Vista Outdoor was the parent company to many ammunition makers, including Federal, CCI, and Remington.[4]

In November 2024, Vista Outdoor separated its outdoor products business into an independent, publicly traded company, Revelyst, and the shooting products business, named The Kinetic Group, was acquired by Czechoslovak Group. Revelyst was subsequently acquired by Strategic Value Partners in January 2025.

History

Alliant Techsystems (ATK), entered the ammunition and outdoor products business in 2001. ATK grew through acquisitions and a large increase in demand for ammunition for police, hunting, and other private uses.[5]

Brands and subsidiaries

Many of Vista's brands are associated with shooting and hunting. The company also makes gear for camping, hiking, skiing, and biking such as flashlights, headlamps, lanterns, helmets, goggles, GPS locators, etc.[6][35] As of 2019, Vista Outdoor earned about 50% of its profits from businesses units related to shooting sports, such as ammunition makers Federal Premium and CCI.[11]

Bushnell

Also known as Bushnell Outdoor Products, Bushnell specializes in optics. Its products include binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes, night vision equipment, GPS devices, laser rangefinders, riflescopes, holographic weapon sights, game cameras, and other high-end optical equipment.

David P. Bushnell founded Bushnell Corporation in 1948 during his service in Allied-occupied Japan. In 1999, private equity firm Windpoint Partners acquired Bushnell. In 2007, Bushnell was acquired by MidOcean Partners, another private equity firm, in a leveraged buyout. In 2008, Bushnell acquired the assets of Simmons Outdoor Corporation from Meade Instruments. ATK announced its acquisition of Bushnell on September 5, 2013, for $985 million in cash, subject to post-closing adjustments.[36]

CCI

Cascade Cartridge, usually called CCI Ammunition, is based in Lewiston, Idaho. Initially, CCI made centerfire primers for government use. As of March 2015, it mainly manufactures rimfire ammunition but also makes centerfire handgun ammunition, primers for reloading and industrial purposes, and shotgun shells.

CCI was founded in 1951 by Dick Speer, brother of Speer Bullets founder Vernon Speer. CCI was previously known as the Speer Ammunition Company.[37][38]

Federal Premium

Federal Cartridge, usually styled Federal Premium, is located in Anoka, Minnesota where it employs roughly 1,000 workers. It was founded in 1922 by Charles L. Horn. Federal Premium manufactures finished shotshell, centerfire, and rimfire ammunition, as well as bullets, primers, and shell casings.[39] Federal Premium introduced its Hydra-Shok line of handgun ammunition in 1988 after the FBI requested a bullet with better terminal ballistics than traditional cup-and-core projectiles.[40] Federal Premium manages Vista Outdoor's relationship with the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant.[41]

Jimmy Styks

Kyle Reeves and Jeremy Wilkens founded Jimmy Styks in 2009 in Huntington Beach, California. In July 2015, Vista Outdoor announced its intent to purchase Jimmy Styks for $40 million upfront with additional payments to the founders, who are staying with the company, triggered by meeting financial targets over the next three years. Jimmy Styks makes stand-up paddleboards and accessories. Vista Outdoor will integrate Jimmy Styks into its outdoor products division. This purchase price was a multiple of about 5.5 times the expected 2015 calendar year EBITDA.[42]

In January 2016, Vista Outdoor announced that it would use its relationships with retailers to expand the number of stores that offer Jimmy Styks products.[43]

Alliant Powder

Vista Outdoor's Alliant Powder division makes smokeless gunpowder.[44]

Remington Ammunition

Remington Ammunition was formed after Vista Outdoor acquired the Remington brand and ammunition facility in Lonoke, Arkansas, in the now defunct Remington Outdoor Company's bankruptcy auction.[45] Notably, the firearm side of Remington Outdoor Company was not purchased by Vista Outdoor; much of it (excluding Marlin Firearms) was reorganized into RemArms, LLC.[46] RemArms operates Remington Firearms,[47] licensing use of the Remington brand name from Vista Outdoor.

After shutting down due to Remington's bankruptcy, the Lonoke ammunition plant was retooled in early 2021, ramping up production and running around-the-clock.[48] The company doubled the number of workers at Lonoke, employing over 900 people.[49]

Camp Chef

Vista Outdoor announced the acquisition of Camp Chef in September 2016. They offer various products including camp stoves, barbecue grills, pellet grills, smokers, fire pits. Vista Outdoor paid a purchase price of $74 million (excluding tax effects), with $60 million in cash paid at closing and $14 million in an earn-out. The effective multiple of the transaction was approximately 6.4x Camp Chef's expected calendar year 2016 EBITDA.[50]

Foresight Sports

In May 2022, Vista Outdoor announced the acquisition of launch monitor and golf simulator manufacturer Foresight Sports. The acquisition valued at $475 million is aimed to aid Vista's Bushnell brand in expanding into new segments.[51]

Fox Racing

In July 2022, Vista Outdoor bought Fox Racing for $540 million.[52] This amount could be increased by $50 million through an earn-out.[53] Fox Racing CEO Jeffrey McGuane will continue in his position following the merger.[54] Fox Racing makes apparel and accessories for mountain biking, motocross, and BMX.

Simms Fishing Products

In July 2022, Vista Outdoor announced the acquisition of Simms Fishing Products for $192.5 million.[55] Simms makes waders and other fishing equipment. Simms is based in Bozeman, Montana.[56] In early 2023, Vista Outdoor appointed Derek Tarlecki President of Simms Fishing Products.[57]

QuietKat

QuietKat is a manufacturer of electric bicycles. Vista Outdoor acquired QuietKat in May 2021. The company is famous for a Super Bowl advertisement featuring a Jeep-branded electric bike.[58]

Leadership

Christopher Metz

Metz was named CEO of Vista Outdoor on October 9, 2017. He is responsible for Vista Outdoor's and its subsidiaries' daily operations. Metz is also a managing partner at Kellwood Company. He served as the CEO and president of Arctic Cat from 2014 to 2017. Metz was the managing director of Sun Capital Partners from 2005 until 2014. Metz worked for Black & Decker from 1992 until 2005, where he held numerous positions in senior management. Metz holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[59]

Vista Outdoor's debt was over $1 billion when Metz was hired in 2017. As of December 2019, that debt has been reduced to $562 million. A large portion of this debt reduction is attributable to selling Savage Arms and other subsidiaries. Metz moved Vista Outdoor's headquarters back to Minnesota to cut costs but also to take advantage of what it sees as a favorable business environment in Minnesota.[11]

Metz resigned in early 2023 after Vista Outdoor's board of directors expressed a loss of confidence in his leadership.[60]

Mark W. DeYoung

Mark W. DeYoung was Vista Outdoor's first chairman and CEO. DeYoung retired from Vista Outdoor in July 2017. Independent board member Michael Callahan was acting as interim CEO and chairman as of the same date.[61]

Before heading Vista Outdoor, DeYoung was president and CEO of Alliant Techsystems (ATK) from 2010 to 2015. During his tenure, ATK completed acquisitions of Savage Arms and Bushnell. In 2015, DeYoung led the transaction that spun-off ATK's sporting goods business to create Vista Outdoor and merged ATK's aerospace and defense units with Orbital Sciences forming Orbital ATK. DeYoung previously headed ATK's Armament Systems group, the company's largest business. Under DeYoung, this unit expanded into new markets and increased its revenue from $600 million in fiscal year 2003 to $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2010.[62][63][64][65]

Operations

Vista Outdoor has about 5,800 employees worldwide, with 4,000 in the United States. The company has manufacturing and support facilities spread over 11 American. states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada. It has overseas sales and sourcing operations in Mexico, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.[8][67] For example, 1,200 of Vista Outdoor's employees staff an ammunition factory in Lewiston, Idaho.[68]

In June 2015, Vista announced that it would build its new corporate headquarters at Station Park in Farmington City, Utah. As of June 2015, construction was expected to begin during the summer of the same year, with completion expected in the middle of 2016. Station Park is a mixed-use development next to a commuter rail station.[69]

The company's headquarters were moved to Utah after they applied for and received targeted tax credits from the Utah state government. In its application, Vista Outdoor said it would invest about $10 million in a new facility where about 90 highly-paid employees would work. Counting medical benefits, these employees would be paid about $125 million over seven years. Utah economic development officials expected about $6.7 million in new tax revenue from the project over this period.[70]

In January 2016, Vista opened a factory in American Fork, Utah to manufacture Gold Tip and Bee Stinger archery products.[71] The new factory is significantly larger than the facility it replaced. The additional space is used for research and development, improved production processes, and better employee amenities.[72]

Vista opened a $35-million ammunition plant in Lewiston, Idaho, in 2017. As of February 2019, Vista employed about 1,135 people in Lewiston. Employment at Vista's Lewiston factory peaked at 1,500 in 2016. Since then, Vista has been reducing its headcount to save costs. This is necessary due to the sharp drop in ammunition sales that followed the election of President Donald Trump. In January 2019, the company asked workers to volunteer for early retirement, but only 20 workers in Lewiston accepted Vista's offer.[73][74]

In November 2018, Vista closed its corporate headquarters in Farmington, Utah in order to reduce costs.[75] Vista Outdoor relocated its headquarters to Anoka, Minnesota, near its ammunition factory there.[76]

Vista Outdoor announced that Bozeman, Montana will be the location of its headquarters for outdoor products. Gallatin County will be a major focus of development.[77]